


Où L'ètincille a Commencé

by minortoyourmajor



Category: Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Genre: Developing Relationship, Grieving, M/M, Pre-Relationship, StanFou
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-28
Updated: 2018-12-28
Packaged: 2019-09-29 06:41:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17198465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minortoyourmajor/pseuds/minortoyourmajor
Summary: Soon after the unruly curse has been lifted, and Gaston's death, Stanley reaches out to a heavily grieving LeFou.





	Où L'ètincille a Commencé

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger Warnings: If you are triggered by hints of suicidal thoughts or mentions of disordered eating, but you'd still like to read, please skip paragraph two. And if you're triggered by vague mentions of disordered eating, please skip paragraph seventeen.

_**T** he loss_. What had kept LeFou at the side of Gaston's limp body throughout the long, cold, snowy night. What left his clothes stained with blood. What nearly cost him his own life. It numbed him, and not just physically.

 _The anguish that followed._ It was the thing that told him there was no more purpose, no hope. The thing that kept him locked away from the world and all human contact, what starved him. The emotional distress that haunted him every night. The nightmares. It was the whisper in his ear that told him his life was of no worth. How easy it was to believe that.

 _The denial of it all._ The late waking every morning hoping against hope that this was all one of his elaborate nightmares, and Gaston's booming voice would be there to demand him to make sixty eggs. The disappointment felt when he didn't hear his voice.

 _The unbearable pain._  It was a massive weight drowning him in some abyss that he couldn't quite make out. He couldn't tell if he was feeling a little bit of everything, or nothing at all. Either way, the weight held him under and refused to lighten up.

 _The grief. Oh, the grief._ It was what had LeFou sobbing for hours a day, every day. He had experienced similar torment when he was a child. But there was still nothing quite like this. This took a large piece of him, left him little to carry on with. He was empty. He couldn't live like this much longer.

_Something had to give, because he couldn't anymore._

_A small gesture, a hug. An ounce of hope, **anything**_.

And yet he would never ask that of somebody. Why? Because it was the last thing he deserved.

But there was somebody who wasn't going to wait around for LeFou to ask for help, he knew he wouldn't.

 

**~{《;;♤;;》}~**

 

LeFou had been awake for a while, wishing he wasn't. He was trying to make his uncooperative body fall back alseep when he heard a knock at his door.

Now, who could that be? Not really anybody in the village cared for him or even respected him. When Gaston was around, the villagers did the bare minumum to be polite and civil. Anything for Gaston. Though like Belle, he was his own kind of outcast, even though he tried to conform.

Another knock, a few seconds later. Probably a villager there to harass him, condemn him for grieving. Not that they would be wrong in doing so.

Whoever it was, why couldn't they just go away?

LeFou slowly got out of bed, leaving the comfort that protected him and hid him from the outside world.

He knew he didn't look presentable. His eyes were swollen, red, and puffy. His hair a mess, just like he was. And when was the last time he bathed?

He paused halfway to the door and took slow breaths. His injured ribs definitely weren't giving him grace today. He supposed the first couple of weeks were the worst.

He finally opened the door to find...Stanley? Why would Stanley want to see him? He was standing there, arms full with a picnic basket, what looked like a few jars of herbs, and two envelopes.

"LeFou." Stanley took one look at LeFou. He looked as if he had been crying nonstop, like he hadn't slept at all over the week that had passed. And he was noticeably thinner. It turned his heart, that sight.

"Hello." LeFou mumbled, daring to look into the other's eyes for a split second. He moved aside to let his suprise guest in. "Thank you for letting me in. I uh...I brought some things for you, wanted to make sure you were eating, taking good care of yourself, and..." He set his bundle on a small table nearby. "How are you holding up?"

LeFou swallowed. He didn't really get it. Stanley was kind enough to check on him, bring him food and herbs. Sure, that fit caring, thoughtful Stanley. But why for him? What did he do to deserve this?

And yet, he was overwhelmed by it. It might have just been his saving grace. He suprised Stanley by collapsing into his arms and sobbing.

"Oh, LeFou." After a moment of freezing, he held LeFou and let him sob, knowing not what else to do.

Stanley wasn't sure how long it had been once LeFou calmed down and let go. Fifteen, twenty minutes? Or possibly longer than that.

LeFou coughed as the pain in his sides lingered. "I-I'm sorry for acting this way Stan-"

"Shhh, don't worry about it, or anything else. Let's sit down, hm?" He led him over to his couch and sat across from him.

Stanley began with, "I'm truly very sorry what happened. I'm sorry you were treated that way, I'm sorry for your loss. You deserved none of this. Even though he was also somewhat of a friend to me, I cannot imagine what you're going through right now."

LeFou sniffled and nodded, the tears continuing to flow. "Thank you. That means more than you know."

Stanley untied his cravat and offered it to LeFou to wipe his tears. "Here."

"Oh, no I couldn't."

"It's okay." Stanley smiled.

LeFou reluctantly took it, knowing how much Stanley took pride in his cravats. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it. If you want to talk about anything, whether now or later, I'm here to listen."

LeFou hesitated to find the right words. "I...I have nightmares every night. If the nightmares would stop, I feel like I'd be a lot better."

Stanley frowned. He wanted to be there all the time for him. He wanted to hold him during his nightmares, wipe away his tears. He wanted him to heal. He wanted to be a part of the process. "I don't know how to relieve nightmares, unfortunately. Doesn't tea help one calm oneself before bed, though?"

LeFou nodded. "I haven't felt like making any, in all honesty. I've been in bed all day ever since." He revealed quietly.

"What if I make some for you now? What kind would you like?" Stanley stood up.

"No, it's all right. Thank you though." LeFou declined. The other slowly sat back down.

"I feel like it's all my fault. I should have made better decisions. I should have tried harder to keep him on the right path. I should have...told the truth." He looked down, the tears coming back.

"No." Stanley told him firmly, grabbing his hand. "This is _not_  your fault. This is  _his_ fault. _He's_ the one who controlled you, manipulated you, used you, abused you. And that will  _never_ be your fault."

"...So I'm not a horrible person? Even for missing him?"

"What? Not at all!" Stanley squeezed LeFou's hand and looked into his deep brown eyes. He missed the blissful twinkle that used to inhabit them.

"You're a wonderful person. And unfortunately, people just fancy taking advantage of loving, caring, unique people like you. But it's not your fault. I promise."

The near dead spirit in LeFou stirred at Stanley's words. He looked back into his eyes, the twinkle slowly coming back.

"You're...you're just too kind to me. Thank you for being here, thank you for...everything."

"I ought to be. You've always been there for me anyway, or for us." Stanley corrected himself. Even though LeFou knew it was a lost cause to earn the village's respect, he lended a helping hand when he could, when he wasn't too busy with Gaston.

LeFou sniffled as the overwhelming feeling came back. He was speechless for the moment. How grateful he was for a friend like Stanley. Their friendship wasn't comparable in any way to what he had with Gaston. But maybe that wasn't such a bad thing. They didn't get to spend much time with eachother, but they always got along well and it was rather easy to speak with one another. LeFou always felt valued and at peace in Stanley's presence. Stanley always longed for the times they got to see eachother, even if they only engaged in small talk at times. It didn't matter how short their encounters were, if it was just a smile and a wave. Stanley cherished every moment. LeFou was now starting to long for their future interactions, also.

"Oh. By the way..." Stanley got up and grabbed the two envelopes from the table.

"This was on your doorstep. I found one on mine this morning, too." The envelope was stamped in red with a rose insignia. Inside was a tiny red rose and a piece of parchment paper inviting him to a ball at the enchanted castle, celebrating the break of the curse the next month.

"I hope to see you there. Will I?" Stanley expectantly asked.

LeFou took his eyes off the invitation and looked up at Stanley. When he did, he actually smiled a little. He couldn't remember the last time he had.

"Perhaps you will."

**~{•°*《♤》*°•}~**


End file.
